Volunteer - Be Outside The box!

Once in a while recruiters are delighted to find a 'Colorful' CV. We chose the word 'Colourful' instead of exceptional because it is our opinion that exceptional CV's are common. Exceptional CV's tend to be predictable; they depict the experiences we expect our candidate to posses. Exceptional CV's are great, you would get short-listed but since we usually get a lot of CV's like this you would not really stand out.

A 'Colourful' CV is an exceptional CV with a diverse range of experiences from which the candidate has gained a wide range of skills.

Education is not only about achieving the highest grades; that is the box which you must step out of. Spend your time at University to also build your CV wisely. Be involved in as many activities as possible! One of the easiest ways to do this is by volunteering.

If you already know your career path and the type of job you would be applying to after University, enlist for social activities that help you gain the skills needed to thrive in that career whilst you are student.

We do not only short-list such candidates, but also look forward to having a conversation with them. Building such a CV makes you not just an exceptional candidate but an interesting candidate for the job!

So start to build your CV before you get the dream job, find out what events, social groups, clubs you can join. Apply for an internship, apply for holiday jobs. Work for no money, Volunteer for charity! In summary do not go to school just to study. Gain a diverse experience from your time there and even after.

We would be keen to speak to you. Also have we mentioned this post is not for the lazy?

You Cannot Send a Duck To Eagle School - Mac Anderson

Book Alert!!! We highly recommend all recruiters to purchase a copy of this book. One of our favourite gold nuggets from this book is this; 'It is better to hire a squirrel to climb a tree than teach a horse to do so'.

Whatever your organisation's mission or goal is, it is cost effective and beneficial for the employer and employees to recruit people who already posses the right personality with all or the basic skills required to thrive in that organisation.

You cannot teach personality, you can however recruit people who already have personalities that fit your organisation's culture and goals and then empower them to achieve! You can purchase the book on amazon.com. It it also available as an audio book.

Yes I Can!

This might have been mentioned passively in a previous post, however we are coming back to it because it is a very important attitude employers are looking for in prospective and current employees.

Develop and maintain a CAN DO attitude always. Employers are not looking to employ a perfect human being (Such does not exist). We however want to employ Go-Getters! People who see problems as mere challenges and do not have the word IMPOSSIBLE in their vocabulary.

People who do not accept NO as their final answer. People who would try and try again before accepting that right now their goal might not be attainable. People who would not say NO to their clients and customers.

Developing this attitude starts from your interview stage; never answer a question negatively. If  you do not posses the skill being asked for; state politely that you currently do not have this particular skill but are willing to learn it.

Be opened to learning new things; most candidates state that they can achieve anything they set their hearts to in their application and often fail to prove it by a simple question in an interview.

Adopt the attitude of trying and trying again! The choice is yours.

Be The Solution!

Hello There...

Yes we took a break from posting (deepest apologies) but we are back now!

Today's post is a simple tip about interviews or rather the whole job search process.

Although Job adverts may appear like routine, recruiters treat each job vacancy as a separate case or problem. We are trying to find a solution to a problem; a vacancy! So when you read our advert please ask yourself this question before your proceed with your application: Are you our solution?

Are you the solution to our problem? Do you have what it takes to perform the duties required in this job or are you a square peg trying to fit into our round hole?

List out the duties mentioned in the job advert. Write down any previous experience you might have had in relation to these duties, write out any skills you have gained that can be used to carry out these duties and evaluate whether or not your profile fits.

This exercise brings you clarity and helps you know what to emphasize at all times during the recruitment process.

We are looking for a solution. Are you it?

The Cover Letter

Hi there!

How has your Manic Monday been? Well you made it through, four days left to the weekend.

Today's post we would be talking about the 'Cover Letter'. We have noticed that a lot of job applicants loose out because they do not understand what a cover letter should look like.

Firstly you need to understand that a Cover Letter is a Letter. It is not a paragraph written in a haste. It is not an attestation or declaration; we have come across numerous cover letters that are one paragraph attestations. For example; 'I hear by apply for the customer relations vacancy in your organisation with great interest, please see attached my CV for your attention'

If you have been sending this kind of Cover Letter, please stop.

What we expect is a letter addressed to a named person if mentioned in the job advert or to a specific titled role also mentioned in the job advert. It should not be longer that one page.

Your cover letter should contain information not contained on your CV. It is a formal letter but also personal. It gives you a chance to demonstrate more to the recruiter why you are the candidate for this role.

You should use your cover letter to flush out your CV; to talk more about previous roles and skills you posses that are key to the job vacancy, mention current trends in the industry which may affect the organisation.

Ensure you have spell checked and gone through your sentence construction. Avoid run on sentences.

Please note that this is a test for us to see your writing ability. So ensure your I's are dotted and T's crossed. Use the right font style and size. Make sure it is succinct and clear.

Always make sure you adapt your cover letter to each and every job you apply to. RR